£19 to live on!

May-B

I have my own little personal challenge at the moment!
I've just transferred my overdraft to a graduate loan (they are taking away my overdraft facility so I had to arrange a transfer) and for once in about five years my account is actually in credit (well technically speaking am still in personal deficit of course!)
- I am going to try really, really hard not to go into that minus area again, once you start, you know its difficult to stop!
- I'm just about to change jobs, so I've been paid for this month and then my last pay packet from this job will go into my account on the 10th of November.
- After I've deducted rent and all bills, loan payments - I've only got £19 until the 10th of November! The question is, can I live on this amount until then?
Basically the only other out goings I'll have is food/socialising/travel. I think I probably will have to dip into my small remaining overdraft allowance (£200) but I'm going to see how little I can make it!
So this is a little update blog for myself - Day one, still got £19 in the bank!
Hopefully wont have to spend any money till Friday as I think I've got enough food till then (although its mainly going to be bread and porridge (and vit tablets so I dont get scurvy)
Wish me luck!

skylight

Okay - socialising will have to go! Unless you can get there/have fun/get home for free, then its a none starter!

Whats the travel for? Getting to work? Socialising? This is the important expense! If work then perhaps check out a pass for the week? Is it cheaper? Can you get on/off at different stops to make it cheaper? For example if I have to go to town, one end of the high street is £0.40p more expensive than getting the bus to the lower end and walking! Can you get lifts? Can you walk (Safely)?

Food - get over to the Old Style Board. They have threads all over - like feed a family of five for less than £1.66 - you can freeze the other portions and re-heat when you need them! Okay, the next two weeks are going to be a little repetitive food wise this way, but great and healthy!

You can do it!!

cattie1

I managed to spend £13 a week on shopping for 4 people with no other expenses in but for it to last until the 19th november is definately going to be a challenge! good luck to you.:T

Dolly_Smith

I would say that buying vitamin tablets is quite expensive. Why not buy a load of vegetables and make a soup - that will last you a few days, and cost less than tins, and it will be healthy too!

Mrs_Sparkle

Good luck! What an excellent challenge. Forget the vitamins though- buy lots of cheap fruit + veg and you'll get tons of vitamins and no scurvy! Don't socialise- you'll have to stay in and chat to us instead :-)

May-B

Thanks for the support and advice!
The travel is for work and everything else - technically I can walk too and from work but it takes an hour and twenty minutes fast walking each way, so I'm not sure I can manage it every day without keeling over but I'll do my best!
Fortunately I already have the vitamin tablets - but I'm going to make my bread and porridge stock stretch till Friday and then I'll make a big lentil and spinach curry at the weekend which should last a week. I'm definately going to look into the feeding a family for a week on £1.66 though!
I have already arranged a night out with friends on Friday but I'm well practised at only drinking lime and soda which costs about 20p a pint (those three years as an undergraduate really paid off in terms of money saving savvy!) - on Saturday eve my friend has invited a few of us round for snacks and TV, and I have a bottle of wine left over from a holiday to France, so I should be sorted for this weekend. Plus if my knee heels up (I can walk, but weight bearing and stairs are an issue) I might book a waitressing shift this sunday and that will increase the amount I have to spend a bit - phew!
I'm going to head out for the walk home now, (using the internet at work to save money!) and make my marmite (B vitamins!) on toast for dinner
Thanks again for the great suggestions
x